Cadbury is adding a new chocolate to Heroes tubs for very first time this Christmas

Cadbury fans might notice that certain tubs of Heroes look rather different this Christmas – but it will all depend on where you shop.

That’s because the chocolate brand is trialling new paper tubs of the sweets, but only in select Tesco stores. 

Cadbury’s owner, Mondelez International, has teamed up with packaging company DS Smith to create 300,000 paper tubs as part of the business’ efforts to reduce its use of virgin plastic.

And if that weren’t enough of a change, Cadbury is also ‘temporarily’ shaking up the Heroes assortment for the paper tubs, with a classic chocolate being swapped for something new.

For the first time ever, Cadbury Flake will be joining the likes of Dinky Deckers, Creme Egg Twisted, Wispa and Dairy Milk Caramel in the mix.

But there is a bit of a catch…

In order to make this change, Cadbury is swapping out a classic treat from the selection, and it’s bad news if you’re a fan of the Eclairs.

That’s because the Flake is going to be replacing Eclairs in the paper tubs. So if you enjoy that particular sweet, you’ll want to make sure you’re buying your Heroes in a regular plastic tub and not the paper one.

If you’re not familiar with Eclairs, these see chewy caramel wrapped in Cadbury milk chocolate and they’ve featured in the mix for the last 17 years.

It was first introduced in Heroes tubs in 2008 to replace Dream chocolates when they were axed.

The new paper tubs featuring Flake will be available for a limited-time in Tesco stores from late October.

Speaking about the trial, Christina Bland, brand manager for Cadbury, said: ‘The Heroes paper tub trial represents a step in our active work to explore new packaging solutions for our portfolio.

‘This trial will inform our long-term packaging approach, and we are also excited to introduce Cadbury Flake to the assortment for this trial, offering a new favourite for consumers to enjoy.’

Customers who purchase a paper tub are invited to share feedback on the changes by scanning a QR code on the inside of the lid.

Cadbury is also going to be running an in-store competition during the trial, offering Heroes fans the chance to win cash prizes or Tesco vouchers with the purchase of a paper tub.

This trial comes after Nestlé launched the ‘first-of-its-kind’ paper tub for Quality Street chocolates in November 2024.

The tubs were embellished with gold foil and were fully recyclable, but customers were sceptical about the change – suggesting some people may not be on board with Cadbury’s version.

At the time, a few were adamant that putting the chocolates in a paper box would somehow mean they ‘won’t taste the same’.

And others were outraged about the loss of the reusable tub/tin, with @shoehamreads posting on X: ‘How is my Grandma going to store her sewing kit in there for the next 30 years?’

Quality Street fans also claimed that this was ‘one change too many’ for the brand, while @LindaL said: ‘I’m not a fan, I won’t be buying, prefer the tins.’

On Facebook, users were divided over the paper tubs, with some claiming they felt like a ‘rip off’, looked like a ‘pizza box’ and would ‘get damaged easier’.

But others thought it was ‘a fantastic idea’ and ‘made sense’ to cut down on plastic use.

Whether the same sentiments will be shared for Cadbury’s new product, we’ll have to wait and see…

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